Crimson Pennant Rosella: Pastel Mutations
Crimson Pennant Rosella: The Pastel Mutations of the Crimson Rosella also know as Pennant Rosella (Platycercus elegans)
Crimson Pennant Rosella: Introduction
Mutation colours are becoming ever more important in aviculture. Although we all admit that the natural colour must always be preserved, breeding mutations offer a great challenge for breeders who are interested in genetics. There are many breeders who cannot live with a couple hundred cages containing African Greys where the succeeding generations all look identical and have to be hand-reared. For these breeders, mutation breeding presents an interesting and profitable alternative.
However, we must draw attention to the so-called “transmutations”, which is simply the uncontrolled hybridism of species, with the end result of certain species in their pure forms beginning to disappear from our aviaries, while some species have already vanished.
It is tragic that this is happening for a short-term financial gain with the goal of transferring a certain colour mutation from one species to another. The pure form will never be recovered. The Lovebirds with the white eye ring are a tragic prime example of this. When compared to the wild form, the hybrid is easily identified, but when compared to mutation birds displaying lighter colouring, it is almost impossible to differentiate between the pure breed and the hybrid.
Pastel
The ‘Dilute’ arose in Australia in the late 1990’s. During the mid-1980’s a Pastel form existed in Belgium which is also a Dilute. Because the birds in South African collections are European in origin, we also know this mutation as Pastel. Now we must begin to rectify the naming conventions.
Pastel is recessively inherited, and the feet and eyes maintain their normal colour. All the feathers are paler to a certain degree. Red pales the least. The black on the back and primaries pales from black to grey, while the cheek and shoulder patches as well as the tail goes from blue to mauve.
Pastel can easily be confused with either Fallow or Cinnamon as all three of these mutations lose some of the dark pigmentation. However, the Pastel’s eyes and feet remain their normal colour, while the Fallow has red eyes and pale feet. All the black feathers become grey in the Pastel, but in the Cinnamon the black becomes brown. The overall colour of the Pastel is also cleaner and clearer than in the other two mutations.
The Cinnamon resembles a Pastel that is covered in thick smoke because the Cinnamon mutation results in a bird with an overall brown wash. Initially, the Cinnamon has red-brown eyes, but these darken as the bird ages. The Cinnamon also has paler feet, unlike the Pastel which has normal-coloured feet.
Crimson Pennant Rosella: Dr Terry Martin writes:
Dr Terry Martin writes: “There is a loose grouping of mutations which are called yellow or sometimes dilute. Technically, these are all DILUTE (pale). In Europe, it is the standard to name the darker type Pastel and the lighter type “ovevergooten” (suffused). The ideal would be for this mutation, in all its forms, to be known as Dilute.”
Pastel can be very successfully combined with other colours of the Pennant Rosella to create new and interesting colours. It can even be combined with Cinnamon, because Pastel significantly diminishes the brown wash of the cinnamon. Because Pastel and Cinnamon both reduce the darker pigmentation, the combination of these two mutations results in double the lightening, which allows the red and yellow colours to show forth very clearly. This combination is known as GoldPastel in Europe, and it is very beautiful. Orange pastel, a combination of Patel and Turquoise, is also stunning.
Here are a few examples to clarify the inheritance:
| PAIRING | RESULT |
| Pastel x Normal | 100% Normal split Pastel |
| Normal split Pastel x Normal | 50% normal 50% Normal split Pastel |
| Normal split Pastel x Normal split Pastel | 25% Normal 50% Normal split Pastel 25% Pastel |
| Pastel x Normal split Pastel | 50% Normal split Pastel 50% Pastel |
| Pastel x Pastel | 100% Pastel |
To breed a GoldPastel, one must combine Cinnamon and Pastel. Here is one method to achieve this:
| PAIRING | RESULT |
| Cinnamon M x Pastel F | 50% split Cinnamon split M 50% split Pastel F |
| These double split males are then paired with Pastel females, with the following result: | |
| Split Cinnamon M x Pastel F | 25% M split Cinnamon split Pastel 25% M split Pastel 25% F Cinnamon split Pastel 25% F split Pastel |
Yellow rosella – subspecies:
It was reduced to subspecies status once hybridization was noted where ranges overlap. However, some authorities maintain that hybridization is not widespread and hence preserves its specific status. (Source Wikipedia)
More Rosella Species and Further Research:
Stanley Rosella: Breeding, Feeding, Cage and Nest Box
